Disney CEO Bob Iger Admits Studio Canceled Projects That Weren’t ‘Strong Enough’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Disney CEO Bob Iger admitted that the company has canceled projects “we just didn’t feel were strong enough” as he attempts to rescue the studio from its recent box office flops.
“When we talk about improving our film, slate, there are really three approaches. One is you have to kill things you no longer believe. And that’s not easy in this business. Because either you’ve gotten started, you have some…costs. It’s a relationship with either your employees or with a creative community. And it’s not an easy thing. But you got to make those tough calls,” Iger said, per Deadline.
“You have to look at everything you’re making, that you do believe in. And you have to take a position that good is not good enough. You have to basically strive for perfection,” he added.
In recent years, once major moneymakers for the studio, like Marvel and animated movies, have struggled at the box office.
“A lot of people think it’s audience fatigue, it’s not audience fatigue. They want great films. And if you build it great, they will come and there are countless examples of that,” he said. “Focus is really important.”
Part of Disney’s recent struggles, however, are also due to its increased inclusion of an anti-family-friendly agenda.
As Movieguide® previously noted:
In the past, Disney always relied on their morally uplifting, pro-family formula to take back the crown—dominating in the 2000s with movies like FINDING NEMO (2003), THE INCREDIBLES (2004), RATATOUILLE (2007), WALL-E (2008), and UP (2009)…
Unfortunately, Disney has not trusted their box office numbers of the past, and have opted to try to be more inclusive to the LGBTQ crowd—which has only caused their audience to decrease.
When the movies promote family-friendly values, they succeed at the box office. Several Disney/Pixar movies previously won Movieguide®’s Teddy Bear Awards® for their positive morals.
Iger seems to recognize that message-driven content doesn’t succeed. Last year, he said, “Creators lost sight of what their No. 1 objective needed to be. We have to entertain first. It’s not about messages.”
“You have to put into the pipeline things you really do believe in. And we know we’re working on that as well,” he continued.
Movieguide® previously reported on Disney:
Disney is hoping to shake up the gaming world with a recent $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, the video game developer behind Fortnite and Infinity Blade, after recently reporting a major subscriber drop.
Disney and Fortnite will work together on a “collaboration that will revolutionize the gaming and entertainment landscape,” according to EarlyGame.
With the partnership, given the codename “BullDog,” they will create a “persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem,” Tim Sweeney CEO and cofounder of Epic Games said in a joint statement with Disney.
“Players, gamers, and fans will be able to immerse themselves in this universe, create their own stories, and engage with their favorite characters in an entirely new way,” the website explained.
- Content: +3Share:
- Content: +3